Best Dust and Pollen Masks

Year round, particles are in the air we breathe. During the spring, trees, flowers, and weeds bloom, Cooler weather brings ragweeds, goldenrods, and molds. If you are planning on going outside, you will be exposed to them. Fortunately, the ragweeds and goldenrods will be gone with the first few touches of frost. Mold can linger all winter.

Regardless of the season, if you have seasonal allergies you can reduce exposure throughout the year by wearing one of these face masks while working, exercising, or just enjoying the outdoors.

Mu2 Sport Mask

The Mu2 Sports mask is made for the active outdoor enthusiast and military personnel. If you are into hiking, running, skiing, snowboarding, hunting, motocross, bike or ATV then you need to take a serious look at the Mu2 Sports Mask.

The mask combines the same material used to make the Q-Mask in a neoprene covering that allows the mask to cover both the nose and mouth without restricting airflow. Because particles hit the "filtering" material and bounce off, it doesn't clog up and won't get hot under the mask.

At the heart of the mask is a unique Micro Air Screen filtration material which repels dust and pollen particles and will not promote the growth of molds or bacteria like many other masks. The pores of the MicroAirScreen are small enough to prevent passage of the smallest allergenic pollen (about 18 microns in diameter), but are numerous enough to provide unrestricted airflow.

The micropore material of the U2 mask does not get clogged. "Mu Two" is a newly patented respirator which uses the long-lasting Micro Air Screen filtration material which allows for easy breathing. Other dust and sports mask manufacture tell you that hard labored breathing is an advantage: "simulates high altitude training". Why do you want to breathe any harder than you have to?

Washable and designed to be used and re-used again and again. Simply hand wash with gentle dishwashing detergent and drip dry.

QMask

Breathe easy with the Qmask dust and pollen mask. When you exercise your muscles need oxygen. The last thing you need is a mask that restricts your airflow and your oxygen. The revolutionary material won't clog and it won't restrict your airflow. Instead of trapping pollen and other debris, it blocks and repels them.

In a nutshell, pollen hits the mask and bounces off. You breathe easy and you breathe pollen free.

Wear glasses? Not a problem with the Qmask. The flexible edges conform to the contours of your nose and cheeks easily and comfortably. Your glasses or sunglasses will not fog up and the Qmask won't compete with your glasses for valuable real estate behind your ear. Instead of wide straps, the Qmask uses soft ear loops to keep your mask in place. It won't interfere with your hearing aids either!

That's just the start. Unlike cheap paper style masks that you use once and throw away, the Qmask is reusable. Just rinse to remove any pollen and let it drip dry. Wear it over and over and over again.

Be Cool - With all that exercise, you can work up a sweat. Be cool with the Qmask. It won't get hot no matter how strenuous your activity.

Vogmask N99

No one likes wearing a dust/pollen mask, but sometimes it is just necessary. There are a lot of different masks on the market but the truth is, the prettier and thinner they are, the less effective they are. However, one company has found a way to make them look good and stay effective.

The Vogmask N99 face mask not only looks good and has an excellent fit designed for comfort no matter what but it also meets NIOSH stringent filter efficiency N99 standards. The Vogmask N99 passed the inhalation/exhalation resistance, and bacterial filtering efficiency in tests by FDA certified microbiology test lab, Nelson Labs, USA.

Take a quick glance at the EPA air quality website and you are bound to come across the word particulate. This basically means a small particle in the air. They are typically categorized into two sections: 2.5 and 10. The finer the particulate the worse it is for you.

The Vogmask N99 is made of microfiber fabric that, if properly fit, filters out the finer 2.5 particulate matter (PM). Often other masks tend to leave gaps on the sides or at the nose, thus negating any viability of the filtration system therein. What good is the filter if the air does not pass through it?

The noseband of the mask that sits on the nose is adjustable (since all nose shapes are different) so that you can press it gently to fit against your face properly. With this in place, air has one way to get in; through the filter. They have spandex trim and ear loops that hold the mask in place. The active carbon filter is derived from the coconut shell, which helps it absorb smells and contaminants.

The exterior can be washed, which you probably want to do once a week if you use it heavily. Mildly rinse outer and inner layer with water, add a small drop of liquid soap (like dishwashing liquid), rinse again and hang dry. Store in a clean dry place free of dust. Do not store in a plastic bag unless fully dried.